2013-01-10 15:04
Early Spring in the orchard The first blossoms opened yesterday on the Summer Scarlet, the earliest variety in the orchard to bloom. Every fruiting spur on an apple tree produces… Read More
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2012-12-07 23:03
Arkansas Black is an heirloom apple that originated in Benton county, Arkansas. Quite possibly raised in the orchard of Mr. Brathwaite, the first fruit was harvested around the year 18… Read More
2011-08-15 12:17
The second variety to come ripe in the orchard, this early season apple took me by surprise. Unlike many early varieties, I actually enjoyed eating this one. It has amazing… Read More
2011-08-09 03:10
The first harvest of the season happened this past week at the orchard. The variety aptly, if not creatively called Early Harvest is similar to Yellow Transparent in size and date of m… Read More
2011-08-03 15:35
The summer has flown by and although this blog has been idle since bloom, the orchard has been a bustling place. Spraying, mowing, thinning and summer pruning have taken up muc… Read More
2011-05-18 17:07
Although the rain has returned, the blossoms are out. I went out to visit the orchard yesterday after not being out there for several days and was struck by the chorus of trees a… Read More
2011-04-30 14:58
Another winter has passed and although it may be shy in its arrival, spring is upon us. The new season has brought with it not only green buds on the trees and blooming forsythia, but… Read More
2011-03-11 23:26
Today is Johnny Appleseed day! An icon of American folklore, Johnny Appleseed, born John Chapman, played an integral role in the establishment of frontier communities, but also in the… Read More
2011-01-05 14:32
The winter season is often a time to hunker down, do some good reading and thoughtful contemplation. Reflect on the year gone by and plan for the coming seasons. It is also a tim… Read More
2010-12-27 17:03
Unlike my first two posts about the golden apple, this is not a story of mythology, but rather one of a tangible fruit. The Goldrush apple is a product of nature, but also of science… Read More
2010-12-14 04:15
Winter's first snow is always a thing of excitement for me. Like the sight of the first Robin or the taste of my first apple, I feel as though it serves to mark the season. This… Read More
2010-11-14 16:29
My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a treeToward heaven still,And there's a barrel that I didn't fillBeside it, and there may be two or threeApples I didn't pick upon some bough.B… Read More
2010-11-09 02:16
Henry David Thoreau wrote in his book Wild Apples a simple yet bold sentence: "All apples are good in November." In the past week I have had many opportunities to test this assertion… Read More
2010-10-31 14:05
GoldrushAs I near the end of a picking season I always find myself experiencing a mixture of sadness and relief. Sadness that the season and work I love is coming to an end and relief that m… Read More
2010-10-22 04:01
I walked in the door tonight with my hands full of cider, a jar of grape jelly from a co-worker and a picking bucket of heirloom apples. It was one of those moments where it struck me… Read More
2010-10-16 04:29
For the past week were were in the midst of typical Ithaca weather -rain. Several days last week were rained out and the first part of this week was not much different. Usually… Read More
2010-10-16 04:26
Ida RedThe nights have been getting colder, bringing out the reds and yellows in the maples, making some of them almost neon. Frost is still to come here in the Ithaca Valley, but up a… Read More
2010-09-30 03:05
All I can really say about the last few days is hot hot hot. Although the nights are cool September nights, the days have been stuck in August or maybe even July with ninety plus days… Read More
2010-09-30 03:04
The weather has turned toward autumn, much to my delight. For the last two mornings I have worn a long sleeve shirt into the orchard and armed myself with a hot cup of tea. Rain… Read More
2010-09-30 03:03
My hands have been showing the wear and tear of several weeks of picking. The scratches, welts and calluses that come from picking thousands of apples a day. The trees always see… Read More
2010-09-21 00:42
Chisel JerseyFor many people cider is a sweet fresh pressed juice that can be found at any orchard in the autumn months. Historically however, the term cider referred to hard cider, wh… Read More
2010-09-15 02:02
At Cornell Orchards there is a small collection of very old trees known as standards. This term refers to the rootstock, which in the case of these trees was grown from a seed. A… Read More
2010-09-14 13:52
The last few mornings have been wet and rainy, coating the trees and the apples in small cool droplets that work there way up your sleeve and drop into your eyes as you pick the upper branch… Read More
2010-08-31 03:51
Warm and hazy this morning. If the last days of August were a competition between Summer and Autumn, summer definitly had the upper hand today. The small crew of only ten or so m… Read More
2010-08-28 12:03
The air is brisk this morning; fifty-seven degrees, and the angle of the light seems a little more acute. The first leaves on the maples across the road have started to show an orange… Read More
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